thinking and language Flashcards
define cognition
thinking, it encompasses the process associated with perception, knowledge, problem solving, judgement, language and memory
define concepts
categories or groupings of linguistic formation, images, ideas, or memories -> life experiences
define schema
mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts
define prototype
technique used by our brain to identify the concepts we have developed
why are heuristics normally criticized?
being prone to biases
types of heuristics (10)
affect
anchoring
authority
availability
effort
familiarity
fluency
representativeness
scarcity
trial and error
t/f: insight and problem solving strategies are the same thing
false
what is mental set?
only thinking inside the box (9 dot question) - we forget what other things an object can do
which brain area is activated when we think of these insight activities
frontal lobe
obstacles of problem solving (4)
- fixation - fixed thinking
- belief perseverance - we continue to believe in something even though we are presented with something that contradicts our beliefs
- framing - the way information is presented to us
- sunk-cost fallacy - the amount of effort we put into something
confirmation bias
dunning-kruger effect
illusory correlation
correlation does not equal causation
hindsight
which brain area is responsible for solving word problems?
right temporal lobe
intuition regarding problem solving (4)
fast and effortless knowledge
‘frozen into habit’
adaptive
critical/necessary
define bounded rationality
a theory that addresses our capacities, time limitations, and scarcity of information
define expected utility
utility that an entity or aggregate economy is expected to reach under any number of circumstances
define object value
the money value of something
how does subjective value decline? (3)
increasing:
- delay
- risk
- effort
define subject value
the emotional value a person has on an item
what does discount rate determine?
decision making style - impulsitivity
who came up w prospect theory
taversky ad Kahneman
describe risk aversion (1)
risk-avoiding to keep gains
describe loss aversion (2)
risk-seeking to avoid losses
we will chose riskier choices if we already lost something
describe the prospect theory
we dont treat gains and losses equally
what is the certainty effect
things that are certain are thought of as having a higher value
what is maximizing
consider and compare all the options
what is satisficing
selecting first option that meets criteria
who came up w the idea of maximizing and satisficing
barry schwartz
what is divergent thinking
expanding the possibilities, moving from a problem to a variety of novel solutions
what is convergent thinking
taking a bunch of options and narrowing it down to a solution
thorndike’s law of effect
behaviourism
sternber et al’s five ingredients
expertise - knows how to break the rules
imaginative thinking skills - being able to see patterns/what other people cannot see
venturesome personality - tolerant to failing
intrinsic motivation - doing what you like
creative environment - being around other like-minded people
wolfgang kohler
display insight
building blocks of spoken language
phonemes - sound units
morphemes - smallest blocks of meaningful information (not words)
grammar
-> syntax
-> semantic - meaning to our words
which develops first: receptive or productive language? and at what age for both?
receptive - 4-6 months
productive - 10 months
what did chomsky say about language?
there is universal grammar since humans are predisposed to grammar - uniquely human thing
what is statistical learning?
hearing sounds over and over again until we develop a sense of where words start/end and correct/incorrect grammar
what is the sensitive period of language learning?
first 10 years
name the brain areas involved in language (5)
motor cortex
arcuate fasciculus
borcas area
wernickes area
primary auditory cortex
what did binder et al (1997) find?
speech zones are widespread throughout the brain
language problems (umbrella terms - 3)
aphasia - language problem
alexia - reading problem
agraphia - writing problem
types of aphasia (3)
fluent
- receptive - wernickes
non-fluent
- expressive - brocas
- global -> have problems w wernickes and brocas
t/f: other species share our language cognitive skills including language
fale: they share comprehension and communication, but not language
describe whorf’s linguistic determinism hypothesis
language is not just a way to express our thoughts, it shapes out thoughts
t/f: the more language you learn does not mean you will have an ‘expanded ability’ to think
false
define rationality
solve a problem with reason
define logic (2)
way of making sense of information
subcategory of rationality
what is the conjunction fallacy?
we tend to think the possibility of one fact happening is higher than the same fact+another fact
example:
option 1: person A is 6 feet tall
option 2: person A is 6 feet tall AND a basketball player
we would think that option A will be more likely to happen
what does the conjunction fallacy reveal about human reasoning? (2)
demonstrates that we are bad at reasoning
we think every clue give is meaningful
newell and simon (1972) description of problem solving
- initial state - starting point
- goal state - ending point
- sets of operators - rules/ways to get to goal
- path constrictions - other requirements to satisfy
define algorithm
step-by-step set of instructions that leads to you result
how can algorithms break down? (4)
problem space too big
- time-consuming
- labor-intensive
- too expensive
t/f: humans are good at working with incomplete information
true
define combinatorial explosion
use something that is very simple to compare to ones existential crisis
what is an obstacle of algorithm
combinatorial explosion
how do we measure total pathways for combinatorial explosions?
F^D
F=options at a given moment
D=choices on the way to the goal
what is an event schema also known as
cognitive script
what provides general principles for organizing words into meaningful sentences?
syntax
problem solving biases (4)
- anchoring bias - focus on one piece of information when solving problem
- confirmation bias
- hindsight bias - belief that the event you just experienced was predictable
- representative bias - unintentionally stereotype someone or something
who developed the triarchic theory of intelligence? and what is it composed of?
robert sternberg
- practical
- creative
- analytical intellegence
who developed the multiple intelligence theory and what do they propose in it?
Howard Gardner
proposed that everyone has at least 8 intelligences
linguistic
logical-mathematical
musical
bodily kinesthetic
spatial
interpersonal
intrapersonal
naturalistic
who developed the IQ test?
David Wechsler
what is the new term in the DSM for mental retardation?
intellectual disability
what did author jensen believe?
genetics was solely responsible for intelligence
